The Problem with a Plan

The Problem with a Plan…

The problem with an emergency plan is that things never quite turn out like you plan. Can we then conclude that planning is a waste of time? Seriously, what’s the point if you’re not able to do exactly what you’ve planned on? Or maybe you should come up with a broad plan that gives you options? How ’bout just having some general disaster response concepts in your head?

While a plan may never quite turn out perfectly, it’s crucial that you have a plan in place if you expect to effectively respond to a disaster. Here’s three good reasons why you should have a written emergency plan.

1. Writing a plan formalizes the steps, and helps to ingrain your plan into your mind.

2. Having a written plan can dramatically relieve the stress of an emergency situation.

3. Creating a plan helps to identify deficiencies in tools and supplies.

While the problem with a plan is that things are probably not going to turn out the way you planned, the problem with not having a plan is that ‘things’ may not turn out at all.

So now that you buy into planning, imagine taking the time to thoroughly plan for a hurricane, you’ve got your supplies, you have an evacuation plan in case it becomes necessary, in fact you’ve even driven it a few times, in short you’ve gone the extra mile to be sure the plan is fool proof.

There’s only one problem, you live in Montana.

Before you can make a plan you need know what you’re planning for.

Take the time to write out the potential disasters in your area and then prioritize them. On a side note, for those of you with children, it’s extremely beneficial for you to include your children in your planning sessions. It can make all the difference in how they react mentally and emotionally when a disaster strikes.

As you start to identify your list of potential disasters you might realize that regardless of the disaster you have to determine, will this require “Sheltering-in-Place“ or do we “Grab-n-Go“? The answer to that question will have a major impact on how you should plan.

Stay Tuned and next week we’ll do a deep dive and discuss specific action items to include in your plans in a “Grab-n-Go” scenario. In the mean time, what are some action items that you’ve put into your emergency plans?